Kultivate Labs Seeks Partners For National Expansion of #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines
Campaign Succeeds Reaching $100K and Stabilizes Restaurants
San Francisco restaurant owners share how the pandemic and being part of the #FilipinosFeedtheFrontlines campaign has stabilized their businesses and supported the community with free meals.
San Francisco, CA, July 15, 2020 - Non-profit organization Kultivate Labs' #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines campaign has surpassed its initial goal of $100,000. After fundraising for a little over 100 days they’ve raised $101,512 from 1075 donors to feed frontline health workers, scientists, and San Francisco’s South of Market and Excelsior communities battling COVID-19. When the pandemic hit San Francisco in March, Kultivate Labs quickly spearheaded a coalition of Filipino American (Fil-Am) restaurants on the verge of bankruptcy. The campaign has generated an average of 22% income to participating restaurants, which has helped stabilize their businesses. Kultivate Labs also worked with longstanding city organizations United Playaz, SOMCAN, WestBay, and the Filipino Community Center, to get meals directly to people that need it the most.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still a major national concern, and cases across the country on the rise, Kultivate Labs is now planning to expand and implement their fundraising model in other cities to support Filipino American restaurants and communities.
As the global crisis brought about by the coronavirus swept across the whole world, creating chaos and destruction, many acts of kindness have been born.
“With the help of over 1,000 donors from around the nation, we were able to hit our lofty goal of $100,000 to stabilize Filipino food businesses and send food to hard-hit communities and frontline health care workers. The only problem is that the crisis is not over. COVID-19 continues to decimate communities and the restaurant industry. Our model of community stabilization works, so we’re going to scale it nationwide, to support Filipino American restaurants across the country, and their respective communities” shares Desi Danganan, Kultivate Labs Executive Director.
Fil-Am families continue to be impacted by the pandemic on a deeply personal level
The campaign has also helped bring nationwide awareness of the Fil-Am community’s contributions to the U.S healthcare industry and helped amplify the latest figures indicating that Filipino nurses account for almost 20% of registered nurses in California. At Seton Hospital in Daly City, one of the largest medical facilities in Northern California, 60% of the employees are Filipino. More compelling stats include:
- According to Philippine government records, the Philippines is the largest exporter of nurses in the world. As of 2019, one-third of foreign-born nurses in the US are Filipino.
- Since the mid-1960s, when US immigration law favored the entry of professionals, some 160,000 Filipino nurses joined the US healthcare system.
- According to official records, as of 2016, the Philippines provided the third-largest number of actively licensed foreign doctors in the US — 13,507 — next to India and the Caribbean. (Source: Business World “Filipino Healthcare workers on the US’ COVID-19 front lines”)
#FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines has also inspired partnerships with Filipino American cultural center ‘Balay Kreative’ grantees Paolo Asuncion, Eric Pascual, and Mike Arcega. Through their project “TNT Traysikel” they are delivering meals in the South of Market in a unique and surprising way, using their custom tricycle, which is an homage to classic public transportation methods in the Philippines. For more info visit www.balaykreative.com
The campaign has also gained funding from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development / SOMA Stabilization Fund, SF Foundation, and corporations including: Wells Fargo Foundation, Brookfield, Alexandria, Boston Properties, URW / Westfield, and Filipino Googler’s Network.
“I am in awe of the SoMa Stabilization Fund’s grantees’ rapid response to the COVID-19 crisis. Within a week of the Shelter-in-Place order, Kultivate Labs partnered with other neighborhood community-based organizations like SOMCAN, West Bay and United Playaz to identify households that needed food delivery.” shares Claudine del Rosario, MOHCD’s SoMa Stabilization Fund Director. “They’ve worked tirelessly to both support small local businesses, as well as serve the most vulnerable populations in our community. I’m incredibly grateful that we have leaders like Desi who are adept at leveraging City resources to help stabilize the community during this turbulent time.”
The Spirit of Kapwa (Togetherness)
To celebrate reaching the $100,000 goal The Lumpia Company will host a pop-up, at Merkado’s outdoor patio (130 Townsend Street, San Francisco) on Friday, July 17th, from 5-8pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance from www.filipinosfeedthefrontlines.org (each ticket includes 6 pieces of lumpia, a dessert, a drink, and sends one meal to a frontline worker.)
Collaborations with Fil-Am influencers like Christine Bumatay (@thesosyalgal), SF streetwear apparel company Adapt Clothing, and cultural brand Bayani Art, have also contributed to the success of the campaign. Bay Area Rapper Nump, will launch the next collaboration to help continue raising funds.
Kultivate Labs is seeking partnerships with Fil-Am communities, restaurants, artists, and businesses across the United States to expand the program. For more information visit www.filipinosfeedthefrontlines.org.
About Kultivate Labs: Kultivate Labs is a Non-profit Economic Development and Arts Organization. They create thriving commercial ecosystems by accelerating businesses that preserve culture and community. They provide space and opportunities for the arts to flourish so that commercial activities are activated and reflect the community at large. The diverse team behind Kultivate Labs itself demonstrates a considerable range of experience (Undiscovered SF night market, Balay Kreative - A Filipino arts and cultural org, with more projects to be announced in 2020.)